Villagers Accidentally Beat Up Mobile Gamer

Lots of people play mobile games in China. The mobile game market has exploded in the last two years into a multimillion dollar industry. According to iResearch, in 2012, mobile games raked in a profit of $US197 million in China, so it's almost baffling to hear something like a young man playing on a mobile device getting beaten up by villagers because they thought he was secretly photographing them.

Back in April, 26 year-old Huang Zhansheng was suddenly attacked by the locals of Pingxiang, Jiangsu province. Playing the highly popular Chinese card game, Fight the Landlord (斗地主), the villagers mistook Huang for a "social worker", thinking he was secretly documenting what they were doing with his smartphone, and pounced on the young man.

After a small altercation, the villagers called for help, and then proceeded to pummel Huang until he gave up his phone. After seeing that Huang was playing an online game, the villagers released him.

Returning home, Huang complained to his mother that his head hurt and he was feeling dizzy. The next morning his mother found Huang convulsing uncontrollably. Turns out Huang's beating had given him head trauma and a concussion.

Reporters following the case called the village chiefs to inquire why Huang was attacked. The village chief replied that they thought Huang was a social worker, and that he refused to cooperate and give up his phone for the villager's inspection. The chief also said that Huang had struck first, and then a villager hit him on the top of the head twice.

According to the police and the village, the villagers gathered the night of the incident to mediate the issue. They scrounged up 600 yuan (about $US100) as compensation for Huang for having been unjustly beaten.

Of course the money didn't help at all -- 8 months and loads of checkups and treatment later Huang is still having health problems from his head trauma: he still convulses uncontrollably at times.

When Huang's story broke earlier this month, more reporters called to inquire why the village felt it necessary to beat up a young man playing a harmless video game (Fight the Landlord is a very harmless game!). It turns out that the village was so wary of government social workers visiting because they didn't want them to see if the villagers were congregating illegally or conducting events while circumventing the state.

Luckily for Huang, the village government owned up to the assault and are currently paying all of his medical expenses. The village government committee has currently paid out a total of $US93000 towards Huang's medical care.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Comments

lalaland Guest

Dec 27, 2012, 5:54pm

1. whoa his medical went up to $93,000.
2. villages gave $100 to compensate the beating LOL wat a laugh
3. Dam that village, u cant just beat up strangers that gave him a concussion, at least not to the head.
4. Dam that village!!! its a game man!!!

I think people who live in that sort of environment do a lot of things that are worth hiding, and also are persecuted unfairly by the government for things that they may never have done. I'm not condoning the violence at all, but I live in a comfortable first world country with a government that's accountable to the people, not the other way around, so I can only imagine the sort of environment that would lead to this sort of paranoia.

100% agree. I feel for the poor guy, no one should be bashed like that. But when you live under a communist state, which doesn't allow any decent, punishing it with gaol and violence, you can understand why the villagers are so fearful. This isn't just some arse hole village, it's a group of people absolutely scared of the government. Just gathering can lead to a crackdown. I feel for them as much as poor Huang.

Whatever.. (comment removed).. it's just politics.. until you've spent a good deal of time there, you just see it from the outside and what the media reports. Not going to bother responding to this dribble.

It's just politics.... I hope you are kidding. I have been to China on 3 occasions with work, I also work in a very diverse environment, and know many who left China, particularly regional areas, because they just could not live there. These are very good, unspectacular people who just couldn't cope. Also there is also the fact that the international media/foreign affairs offices are about the only people you can believe in political matters pertaining to China (as long as it isn't Fox News). So you can keep on just living in your bubble not giving a sod about anything, I choose to empathise for these people who have no choice but to live these fearful lives.